Traction-wheel



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J. AUSTIN.

TRAGTION WHEEL.

No. 269,990. PatentedJan. 2, 1883.-

WITNESSES: fi

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Y Y ATTORNEY 2 Sheetsl-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J.. ASTIN.

4 TRAGTION WHEEL.

yPatented Jan. 2

` WITNEssBs INVEN TOR ATTORNEI i UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES AUSTIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

TRACTloN-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,990, dated January 2, 1SE3.`

` Application ined muy e, 1882. me model.)

i To alt whom it maylconcern:

Be it known that I,JAMES AUSTIN, ofBrook` lyn, Kings county, NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Traction- IVheels, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention consists of a contrivance designed to enable the wheel to travel on feet projecting from the rim, so as to take. better hold for traction than the rim does, and take its load along with as little power as possible, the object being to provide apparatus of a more practical and reliable character than heretofore employed for the purpose, as hereinafter niore'fully described, reference being made to the'accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis partly a si'de elevation and partly a sectional elevation `in the plane of the rim of the wheel. Figl 2 is a section of the Wheel in the plane of the a`Xis. Fig. 3 is partly a side elevation and partly a longitudinal sectional elevation of one of the toothed segments `of the wheel. Fig. 4 isY a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end elevation-'of one of the feet. Fig. 6 is partly a side elevation and partly a sectional elevation of the foot represented in Fig.5. Fig. 7 is partly a side elevation and partly a section of another form of foot, and Fig. 8 is a transverse section of Fig. 7.

Imakearim,a,ofcastmetalsegments,which have spoke or leg sockets b-say one to each segment and in the middle thereof-also a line of internal cog-teeth, c, and also an internal tread, d, alongV the sides of the cog-rim, the said cog-rim and tread being a little to one side of the line of the spoke-sockets, but as close thereto as may be without interference one with the other.` Practically the spokesockets are cast in the form of bosses on the sides otthe segments. Thesesegments are arranged and connected together in any approvedV way of connecting the ends, and, forming a complete circle, are also provided with or have attached to them a broad 'thin rim or tire, e, of metal or iron plate, which at its edges is strengthened with angle-barsf, to which annular side plates, y h, are attached for partly inclosing the cog-rim and other parts to pro-- tent them from thednst, but more particularly to give the requisite stiffness to the wheel firrgreat propelling-power, the said arrangement being adapted for affording the greatest strength with the least metal, besides affording the basis for wholly inclosng the interior of' the wheel by the application of a disk to the outside, which may be fastened on tightly, and by a cover ot leather, rubber, or other flexible material to the inside, with perforations for the shafts and other connections, and contrived to pack in any suitable way, with the grooved iiangei' formed around the cen,- tral opening ot' ring h for the purpose. The wheel-rim thus made and provided with feet jand 7.3, or either kind alone or others, is to be made to revolve around the stationary circular rim or rail u, permanently attached to the boiler l or other part ot' the truck, and to propel the truck through the medium of said rail, the power being applied to the toothed rim by a toothed drive-wheel, m, to which the engine is to be geared by a chain belt working on the toothed -pulley n or other approved means, and the wheel-rim bein g carried by the said toothed wheel m, which is also a carrierwheel, and the two other carrier-wheels, o and p, running on the ways d of the segmental rim, and being mounted on axles qm, and s, on which the boiler or other part ot the body is suitably `,n1ounted. The .ways d of the segments rise said ianges, serve to control the wheel-rim laterally, and the carrierwvheels o and 19 are grooved in the face to allow the teeth ot' the segmental rim to run in them for the same purpose.

The rail u, on which the weight of the truck is to be carried by means ot' the feet, is securelyattached to the boiler or other. part of the truck by the bar Av, connected to it at its ends, and by bars 1 z, and z', and being itselt1 connected to the boiler by the strong central stud, w, besides the said ra-il being iiitted on the shafts q, s, and r by bearings or. The'ba-rs yand z, connecting the rail u and the supporting-bar o, are mainly located on the lower part of the rail, because it is there that the stress of supporting the load is mainly delivered upon it by the feet, said feet being attached to legs n', projecting through the rim e ofthe wheel, also through the sockets b, and connected with roller-heads b', carried by' guidingstems c in brackets d', attached to annular IOO ring g, said heads carrying rollers e on suitable pivots, said rollers running on the face of the rail u, so that the weight of the load is borne on said rail, and the rail is borne on the feet passing under it. y

Two guide pins or rods, c', are herein represented to each roller-head, for preventing the head from turning out of line, and in this case the said guide-rods are represented as attached to said head and sliding in the brackets d; but it is evident that they may be attached to the brackets and tted in the roller-heads for them to slideon the rods. I prefer the arrangement shown.

The rail u has a reverse curve,f, at the bottom, the object of which is to vary the length of Lthe radial line of the bearing-foot from the time the foot takes the load in advance of the axis until it escapes from the load at the rear of said axis, and thus enable the machine to .advance'in a level plane instead of in a rising and falling course, as it would were it not for said curve. The lengthof said curve is such that the roller of one foot will pass. onto it and take the load on it when the roller previously sustaining the load is passing from said curve at the rear. Except when passing uuder rail u atf, the rollerse travel idly around the rail to the front of the wheel for successive operation.

The foot which I prefer to make consists of a hollow box made in two parts, g h', and end covers, o', and bolted together by tlanges ',said box having a tlat bottom, j', and containinga round head, 7c', secured to the end of leg a crosswise of it, said box being fitted to the head so as to turn or oscillate and also to slidelengthwise on it to a certain extent. The object of having the box turnv on the head is to enabley it to descend fiat-wise on the ground, as indicated iu Fig. l, in case it may be Wanted to do so, and the object of sliding lengthwiseis to enable the wheel to have lateral motion on the foot in case of need when'turning-around short curves. The head hasa socket, Z,in each end, in which a spring, mfistitted to'bear against the end of the boxand shift the box back to its central position after the foot has lifted from the ground.

It' it may be desired toA prevent the foot from descending flatwise on the ground, as above described, the spring may have its ends secured, the one in the end of the box at n' and the other in the bottom of the socket of the head, to oppose its torsional resistance to the turning of thefoot b v gravitation or otherwise, and thus insure the radial direction of the. foot until the load passes ontoit. The covers o of the ends ofthe box will be bolted on, as shown. at p', or in any other approved Way. lhe

length of the box of the foot is designed to be equal to the breadth of the wheel; but it may be more or less, as preferred.' Another form of foot which l propose to use alternatelyr with the foot above described, and may in some cases use alone, consists of the foot ksecurely\ attached to the lega crosswise of the rim of the wheel, and having a groove, r', along the middle portion of the bottom and a slot, s', through it each side of the central `boss to which the leg is connected for the connection of a calk, t', by the bitof the calk ittingin the groove r., and with bars extending up through slots s sufficiently to receive pins or rivets through them, over the top of the foot, to secure the calk. The foot]l has an opening, fw', in the top of the cap h of sufticiently large size to allow room for the leg in the play of the foot on the head la and said cap also, the foot lo and the leg-sockets b have collars x', to

. which rubber, leather, or other suitable leggings, y", are to be' firmly bound with wire, to exclude the dust from theleg-sockets band from the interior of footj.

The center stud, w, connecting the bare with the boiler or truck, is provided Witha staybrace, a2, and a stay-rod, b2, connects the two arms of the said brace across the angle formed by them above center stud, w. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination, with the traction-wheel rim @fg and a toothed rim, a, working on rollers m o p, substantially as described, of a series of teet, j k, legs a', rollers c', and a stationary rail, u, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a traction-Wheel, of the rim e g h, carrying leg-sockets b, feetj k, and rollers e', with stationary rail u, said stationary rail having reverse curvef along the bottom Where the load is supported on the rollers by said stationary rail, substantially as described.

3. The toothed segmental rim a, having legsockets b, in combination with legsaQfeetjk, roller-heads b', guides c d', rollers e', and the stationary rail u, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with Wheel-rim e g h, having leg-sockets b, and with stationary rim. u, of feetj lc, legs a', roller-heads b', guides c' dg and rollers e', substantially as described.

5. The roller-heads b', having two guide-rods,

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c', and a pivot for roller e', said rods being itsubstantially as described.

7.. The combination, in a traction-wheel, of.Y feet j and k, arranged alternately thereon, substantially as described.

8. A foot t'or traction-wheels, consisting of box h,g, and p' and head k', combined and arranged with leg a, substantiallyas described.

9. The combination, in a foot for traction- Wheels, of the box It g and the head la', said' box being capable ot' sliding and turning on said head, substantially as-described.

10. rlhe combination of springs m with a foot for traction-Wheels, consisting of a head, 7c', and a box, h g', said box being capable of sliding on said head, substantially as described.

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11. A foot for traction-Wheels, consisting of the wheel to shift laterally on the part of the 1o a head, k', andra box, h g', fitted thereon for foot resting on the ground and supporting or sliding and turning, as described, and containpartly supporting the load, substantially as deing springs m' to adjust the box on the head scribed.

`5 laterally, said springs having the ends n connected respectively to the head and the box, JAMES AUSTIN substantially as described. Witnesses:

12. The combination, with a tractonfwheel, W. J. MORGAN, `of feet constructed in parts arranged to allow S. H. MORGAN. 

